How Eric Lefkofsky is Approaching Cancer Care with Tempus

Eric Lefkofsky has been one of the most innovative and interesting entrepreneurs to leap into the tech field out of Chicago over the past decade or so. As a specialist in data aggregation and data-enabled precision medicine, Lefkofsky has a unique set of skills that have translated into what could be one of the most momentous medical advances in recent memory. Lefkofsky has been uniquely focused on the problems that surround cancer care and cancer research and now he is addressing those issues with his new company, Tempus.

Tempus is an idea that seeks to merge several different forms of technology and data analytics into a core operating system that brings real solutions to the fold. The healthcare industry was supposed to see a huge evolution with the introduction of electronic health records. However respectable EHRs were as an improvement, they weren’t nearly enough. This is where Tempus comes to play. Tempus operates as an operating system that aggregates important data into an all-in-one accessible system that healthcare professionals, patients, and providers can all access. The goal of the program is to put important molecular and patient data into an accessible interface so that healthcare professionals around the country can access it with the press of a button.

In terms of molecular data the bulk of the conversation is revolving around information related to the human gene. Lefkofsky, as well as premier intellects in the healthcare field, understand that potential cures and treatment for cancer may lie within the human genome. Genome sequencing is exorbitant in terms of expense and cost as much as $100 million just over a decade ago. Nowadays the cost has been reduced to around $5,000 and Lefkofsky’s work might bring those costs even lower if Tempus is effective.

The goal with Tempus, and other work from people like Lefkofsky, is to unveil the mysteries and questions that have plagued cancer research and cancer care for so long. With each additional piece of data accumulated by Tempus, medical workers around the world come closer and closer to finding fundamental answers to one of the most hard fought battles in the medical field.